Fact of the day

Information is the most powerful weapon.

Monday

Fact N°
1910

About 1 in every 100,000 U.S. men will develop penile cancer.

At significantly higher risk are uncircumcised men, although science can't say why. In the early stages, penile cancer can be treated and even cured with surgery and/or chemotherapy, but partial amputation becomes a viable solution in the upper stages. Stage IV penile cancer is considered terminal.

Tuesday

Fact N°
1911

Over 40% of unplanned pregnancies in the U.S. result from incorrect use of contraception.

Every year in the United States there are an estimated 6.1 million pregnancies, with roughly half that number being unplanned. As a consequence, 1.3 million end as abortions and another 800,000 end as miscarriages, leaving about a million unplanned and unintended births each year. A mere 5% of these unplanned pregnancies occurred even when the couple used contraception properly and it failed. Among unplanned pregnancies, 43% didn't use contraception correctly and the rest, 52%, didn't use any. In other words, 95% of unplanned pregnancies are preventable.

Wednesday

Fact N°
1912

The first movie theater in America opened its doors in 1902.

Tally's Electric Theater is widely considered to be the first "dedicated movie house" ever built, and it went up in 1902 in -- where else -- Los Angeles. It consisted of a sheet hanging down in front of several rows of benches. The opulent theaters of the 1920s and 1930s didn't really come along until Harlem's Regent Theater opened in 1913.

Thursday

Fact N°
1913

We don't "see stars" after a hit to the head - we see neurons firing spontaneously.

When we "see stars" after getting hit in the head or even after standing up too quickly, what we're actually seeing are neurons in the brain's visual cortex that have undergone a drastic change in their levels of oxygen. The head's movement forces blood in and out of tiny capillaries, and the neurons closest to those blood vessels will fire off before other neurons. Our brain's visual cortex can't make much sense of these independent and isolated signals except to interpret them as forms of light.

Friday

Fact N°
1914

The United Arab Emirates has the highest percentage of immigrants of any country.

Evidence that we are fast approaching one world: Almost 20 cities across the globe have at least a million foreign-born residents. Slightly less than half of those are in the United States, which, as a country, has a foreign-born population of about 12% -- significantly lower than the UAE, where over 71% of the population was born elsewhere.

Saturday

Fact N°
1915

The 32-paneled soccer ball debuted at the 1970 World Cup.

The ball, which introduced the 32 panels, was developed by international sports apparel manufacturer adidas. In fact, the German-based company has been debuting new features for the soccer ball ever since, and intended to introduce a new ball at the World Cup 2010, one that eliminates the 32 panels in favor of 8 thermally bonded sections.

Sunday

Fact N°
1916

The largest dinosaur ever discovered was found in Oklahoma.

Uncovered in 1994 by archeologists, the Sauroposeiden dinosaur lived at least 110 million years ago and was enormous: It is believed to have weighed approximately 60 tons and stood an astonishing 59 feet tall.